


Exfiltration

by NCVega



Series: CV: The LouRin Collection [2]
Category: Code Vein (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, Mentions of Blood, The Cathedral of Sacred Blood can shove it, The Frey Twins Saga, Trans Character (Rin), bloody nose, the beginnings of Louis/Male Protagonist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 21:14:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21063296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NCVega/pseuds/NCVega
Summary: The Cathedral of the Sacred Blood is an ivory mass of confusion and fuckery, and Rin absolutely wants out.





	Exfiltration

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back again with another one-shot for the disaster Frey Twins. For today's prompt, I used "bloody nose" which always translates into "nosebleed" so here we are!
> 
> I -may- have slightly exaggerated the number of Lost invasions that happens in the Cathedral.
> 
> Also, if you're curious as to how the Frey twins look, here's [Rin](https://twitter.com/BlueCrownFics/status/1184647911767977989) and [Aria](https://twitter.com/lizibabbles/status/1184532735710375937)

The Cathedral of the Sacred Blood is about as large and confusing as Rin expected it to be. He knew exploring the new area wasn’t going to be easy, and when he finally laid eyes on the sheer mass of the Cathedral, the sense of unease that had been clouding his mind for the past few days was justified. 

The Cathedral of the Sacred Blood is an ivory mass of confusion and fuckery. With its broken, delicately carved rails and large, unsuspecting holes, Rin is absolutely certain the Cathedral only exists as a way to torment them. The worst part isn’t even the holes in the ground, the unprotected walkways or the random Lost that hang from the walkways above—it's that everything looks the same. No matter where Rin turns, everything is just…  _ identical. _

“Did we go this way—OH MY GOD—!”

Aria’s ear-shattering screech snaps Rin out of his daze. He blinks in time to catch Yakumo’s arm shooting out from beneath his blood veil and yanking his sister away from the corner. Rin’s sigh is heavy. He doesn’t need to catch up to them to know she’d almost fallen down that damn hole again.

“We need to be careful here,” Louis reminds them from behind Rin. “We can’t afford to have any accidents.”

“That’s the third time you forgot about that corner, Ari,” Rin adds unhelpfully. Aria’s indignant pout makes him chuckle, but it’s Mia’s words that grounds him in reality.

“Which means, we’ve been running around in circles.” Mia shoulders her bayonet, her brows furrowed. “We haven’t found another mistle since our arrival, either.”

“We’ll just have to retrace our steps.” Louis turns on his heel and leads them down the same path they’d just walked up from. “Let’s try to go a way we haven’t gone before. Does anyone have any chemical lights? We’ll leave a trail of breadcrumbs.”

* * *

Three hours since the start of their exploration and two purified mistles later, Rin realizes they’re lost again. The gang retreats into the Artifice Tower, their most recently purified mistle, and collapse beside the plant. They’re worn down after a series of harrowing encounters with powerful Lost, and even though Louis made sure they were well prepared for the long trip, they’re already short on supplies. 

Rin takes a moment to count the regen-inducers he still has left in his arsenal and grimaces. It’s not enough, and based on the fragmented pieces of map they’ve managed to recover, they’re still not even halfway through the Cathedral. He glances over his shoulder to survey the rest of the group.

Mia’s worn down, perhaps more so than the rest of them. There’s dirt and grime smeared across her cheeks from when the Lost batted her around one of the towers during an unexpected horde attack. Sweat gleams off her brow, but she wipes it away without a thought. Still, she grimaces. Rin suspects the wound she sustained on her back from earlier still aches.

His sister is no better, though she’s one of the few still standing. He watches her shuffle through her bags—counting ichor vials and blends she’d manage to pack before leaving the home base. Her brows crease as she counts. He can’t make out how many vials Aria has left, but knows it’s not enough. The blood code Aria likes to use relies heavily on ichor. Without it, she’s a sitting duck.

Movement to his left catches his eye. Yakumo stands under the archway to the tower, his sword resting heavily against his shoulder, though Yakumo shows no sign of its weight affecting him. He’s in better shape than the rest of them, despite the amount of defending he’s done in the past hour alone. Between keeping Aria safe from the horde and coming to Mia’s aid when she gets swarmed, Rin thinks he should be the most exhausted. He isn’t, of course, and Rin finds himself admiring Yakumo’s determination. He’s almost certain Yakumo is out of restoratives, too.

Someone’s presence catches Rin’s attention, and when he turns to look, he’s caught off guard by Louis’ closeness. 

“Mind if I join you?” He asks. Upon Rin’s nod, Louis slides into the space beside him and lays  _ Enduring Crimson  _ on his lap. It’s marred with dried blood and dust from the various Lost he's fought. “How are you holding up?”

“I’m doing better than the rest of us,” Rin says. Violet eyes sweep across the room for a second time before meeting Louis’ red gaze. “We’re low on stock. I don’t think we were prepared for three Lost horde attacks in a row. Or me dying in each and every one.” Rin’s derisive smile gets lost behind his purifier mask. He breaks eye contact with Louis, a sense of bitterness welling up inside him. “Sorry if my dispersals are hindering our progress.”

Rin can’t see the expression on Louis’ face, but he can feel those red eyes penetrating into him. 

“You’re not. If anything, it’s the Cathedral that’s hindering our progress.”

Rin tries not to puff out a laugh. He hasn’t known Louis for long, but in the short amount of time he’s spent with the guy, Rin knows Louis is far too kind for his own good. If Rin is hindering their progress because of his own weakness, and he doubts Louis would ever tell him. After all, Aria has cleaned up his messes, even before they turned into revenants. He doesn't think that will change despite their new blood code abilities.

Rin doesn’t turn back to Louis until he’s sure Louis’ gaze is elsewhere. He watches their fearless leader survey the others. It’s hard to read the expression on his face through the purifier mask and the fringe of hair that falls over his right eye. Though, Rin suspects he’d have a hard time reading Louis even if his face wasn’t obscured. 

“We might have to turn back,” Louis murmurs. The sound of his voice startles Rin; it’s low and contemplative, maybe even a little hesitant. “If we proceed as we are now, it may put us at a disadvantage.”

“The lost will regenerate if we head back to base.”

“They’re already regenerating.”

Rin’s attention turns to Yakumo. He nudges his head toward the walkway outside of their safe haven where a new Lost materializes in a shimmering blaze of red dust. With its back turned toward them, it shambles onward, unaware of the group that watches it closely.

“They’re regenerating faster than usual,” Yakumo grumbles. “We’re in big trouble if we try to take them on in our sorry state.”

“Retreating for now would probably be for the best,” Aria adds. She gives Yakumo a careful glance before turning back to Louis and Rin. “Besides, I’m almost out of ichor. Draining it from the Lost might work, but I won’t get nearly as much as I do from the vials.”

“It’s your call, Louis.” Mia interjects as the others nod in agreement. “Whatever you decide, we’re behind you 100%.”

Louis’ brows pinch together as he thinks. Rin watches him blatantly, admiring the way his profile looks, despite the mask obscuring most of his face. He’s never had the opportunity to be so close to their leader like this. Even back at home base, where things are far more relaxed, Rin often finds himself watching Louis from afar. It's a rare privilege to observe Louis this close. He can see almost every strand of hair in Louis’ fringe and the eye that he kept hidden behind it. It isn’t the first time Rin has wondered what Louis looks like without his hair obscuring his face and he knows it wouldn’t be the last time either.

Suddenly, Louis’ eyes are on him and Rin flinches backward, startled by those piercing red eyes. It takes him a few more seconds to realize that all eyes are on him. A flash of heat crawls up the nape of his neck.

“S-sorry, did I miss something?”

“Just wondering if you were with us, little brother,” Aria says with a chuckle, though the way her eyebrows arch at him makes Rin’s hackles rise. She’s smirking behind her mask, he’s absolutely sure of it.

Mia acts as his saving grace and says, “We’re retreating for now, but you kinda zoned out on us.” 

“Yeah, I wonder why,” Yakumo adds.

“A total mystery.” Aria shrugs just as Mia’s eyes roll playfully.

Rin’s cheeks burn hot. He avoids Louis’ gaze as he climbs to his feet and grabs his sword from off the ground. Yakumo takes point again, rushing into the reformed Lost just as Aria readies an elemental spell in her hand. The loud  _ bang  _ of Mia’s bayonet carries in the open air.

“Rin.”

Rin freezes. He glances over his shoulder and gives Louis a questioning look. The expression in Louis’ eyes is the same as when they first found the Cathedral—troubled, like there’s something he wants to say but isn’t sure how to say it. Rin is about to voice his concerns out loud when Louis snaps back to attention with a shake of his head. He approaches Rin, squeezes his shoulder then rejoins the others into the blazing sun.

* * *

Getting back to home base proves to be just as troubling as exploring the Cathedral. They’re ambushed by another horde of Lost with an armored Stone-Crusher barreling down the narrow walkway toward them. They split from the path in an effort to avoid the Lost’s large sweeping arc. Yakumo and Aria roll into a nearby spire while Mia takes the risk and swings her body around the edge of the walkway. The momentum of her swing sends her just past the Stone-Crusher and into the path of few armored Losts. The blasts of her bayonet sends the first wave of Lost stumbling backward, but it's not enough to hold them back.

Rin barely has the sense of mind to react before the Stone-Crusher’s hammer barrels down onto him. He braces for impact, holding out his sword in front of him and gritting his teeth when all the weight of the Lost’s swing crashes down onto him. The force rattles his weary bones, and he stumbles backward, stunned by the Stone-Crusher’s sheer strength. The sadistic giggle the Lost releases is both unnerving and irritating. It raises its arm for another attack, hammer held high in the sky.

“Rin!” Someone screams.

_ Dammit!  _ He thinks, adrenaline shooting through his veins.

Rin rolls out of the hammer’s way just as it crashes down on the ground. The impact shakes the walkway violently, but Rin doesn’t stop moving until he’s far enough away to finally reorient himself. Louis is in front of him before he realizes, his free hand alight with fire. He tosses the ball of flame toward the Stone-Crusher and curses under his breath when it barely stops her approach.

“You okay?” Louis asks, casting him a quick glance. “If you’re injured, you should heal up. It looks like it’s going to get messy.”

Rin grits his teeth. His arms ache from the impact of the Lost’s attack, but with adrenaline pumping through his veins, he doesn’t think it warrants wasting a regen-inducer. “I’m fine,” He says instead. The grip on his machete sword tightens. “I need to be more focused.”

He charges forward before Louis can say anything more and shoves his blade into the Stone-Crusher’s body. Blood spurts out from the wound as the Lost howls in pain.  _ Enduring Crimson  _ bites into the Stone-Crusher’s shoulder next and when they pull their weapons from the Lost’s body, it disperses into a cloud of shimmering red dust. 

Rin glances Louis’ way, his appreciative smile hidden beneath his purifier mask. “Thanks.”

“Thank me when it’s over,” Louis says, then charges into the rest of the fray.

* * *

One horde ambush and three regenerated Lost patrols later, and they’ve completely run out of ichor and regen-inducers. The best they can do is cover up their wounds before they make the journey back to home base. Rin grimaces as Aria wraps a bandage around his arm. Losing blood in their current state was the worst possible thing that could happen to them. Without a steady source of blood beads to keep them satiated, any sort of blood loss means they're one step closer to a frenzy. For Rin, the growing ache in the back of his throat only worsens after each and every dispersal.

Aria ties off the rest of the bandage and carefully cradles his cheeks.

“You’ll be okay, Rin.” She murmurs, though the worry in her purple eyes belies her words. “We still have blood beads back at base. We’ll rest up and then return when we’re all fully healed.”

“We’re supposed to be rationing them,” He reminds her bitterly. “We shouldn’t waste them.”

Before Aria can respond, the sharp scent of blood fills the air. Rin jerks his head toward the source and finds Louis, standing furthest away from the mistle, with blood dripping from his chin. He wipes the blood away with his bandaged hand, his purifier mask clutched in the other. The grimace Louis makes has Rin climbing to his feet quicker than a Lost horde attack. 

Aria doesn’t stop him, and Rin rushes over to Louis side.

“Louis, you’re bleeding!”

Louis’ startled gaze meets Rin, but before he can get the chance to muster a response, Rin is already pulling some spare gauze from his bag.

“Here, put this under your nose. You can’t lose blood like that, you might go into a frenzy. We don’t have any blood beads on us and—“

“Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, Rin.” Yakumo says from somewhere behind them. “A little blood loss isn’t going to start a frenzy. Louis is made of tougher stuff than that, isn’t that, right Louis?”

“Still,” Mia interjects with a sigh. “We  _ should  _ hurry back before Louis becomes a beacon for another Lost horde.”

“Right,” Louis agrees, though he takes the gauze from Rin’s hand and presses it against his bloody nostrils. The expression in Louis’ red eyes is grateful. He gestures toward his sword, which was left unattended by the mistle. “I won’t be able to carry it like this,” He confesses. “I hope… you don’t mind?”

Rin blinks. Heat crawls up the nape of his neck as realization dawns on him and for the second time that day, he’s suddenly grateful his blood veil keeps most of his neck hidden. He nods with far too much energy, and hastily picks up both of their weapons from the ground. He’s careful to ignore Aria’s knowing gaze, but he can still feel it penetrating his back as he returns to Louis’ side.

“Thank you,” Louis murmurs.

“N-no problem,” Rin stammers and hopes Louis can’t see how red his cheeks are.

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to [Liziscribbles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liziscribbles/pseuds/liziscribbles) for beta reading, dragging me into Code Vein hell, and for being a wonderful friend ♥
> 
> Check out her fic: [Caught Off Guard](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21063329) which takes a look into the twin's past through Aria's eyes!
> 
> My socials: 
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/bluecrownfics?lang=en)  
[tumblr](http://bluecrownfiction.tumblr.com/)


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